


Tempt the Dark

by a_cascade



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Choking, Enemies to Lovers, Hand Jobs, Light Play (Destiny), M/M, Pining, Sickfic, Suppressed powers, The Darkness - Freeform, gambit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21574759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_cascade/pseuds/a_cascade
Summary: Shin cuts a deal with The Drifter and ends up biting off more than he can chew. He must face his inner darkness head on as well as deal with some unresolved feelings.
Relationships: The Drifter/Shin Malphur
Kudos: 51





	Tempt the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> This should've been posted like a year ago, but I'm the world's slowest writer haha. This is my first Destiny fic and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Hope you enjoy!

The engine of the Derelict emitted a constant quiet hum in the background, filling in what would be a hollow silence. Shin kicked up some alien vine with the toe of his boot. They had grown over everything like corruption before freezing over with a thick layer of ice. He shivered as a chill passed through his body, fog forming at the edges of his helmet’s visor as his respirator depressurized. The ship felt almost haunted. In a way, it was. There was a darkness lurking within its hull, within the bones of the man who owned it.

Towards the back of the vessel there was a series of platforms that led up to a massive warp gate. The contraption was dormant, just an empty metal shell, but even then Shin could feel magical potential radiating off of it. _Just what the hell is Drifter doing up here?_ Momentarily distracted, Shin nearly stepped through a trip mine. He made quick work of it with his cannon. Petty traps would stop any ordinary vandal but they wouldn’t stop him. He supposed the man’s paranoia wasn’t entirely senseless. It was, perhaps, the only reason he was still alive, after all. And The Drifter had every intention of staying alive by whatever means necessary.

In the very back there was a storage container, half-embedded in the ice, but radiating with warmth. It was strangely silent in the chamber, no ambient hum of the engine, no whirring machinery, just the sound of his own footsteps in the slush. The bed, if it could even be called that, was little more than a cot. On the desk were scattered notes, a half-finished gun, an empty bag of rations. _How can a man live like this?_ He picked up the gun and turned it around in his hands curiously. Adaptive frame with a smooth wooden finish and a clean sight. Impressive handiwork. He never took The Drifter for a gunsmith.

Shin heard footsteps and reactively reached for the gun at his hip, felt his light stir within him as the steel met his fingertips. Shin drew his weapon and aimed it at the other man, finger steady on the trigger. He noticed the rogue's hand inch ever so slightly towards the hand cannon tucked into his waistband and gestured at him with Last Word. _Uh-uh_. Shin shook his head. _Don’t even try it_. The Drifter stepped into the warm light of the container, arms raised in surrender.

"Well ain’t this just a pleasant surprise. You messin’ with my toys?" The Drifter stared him down from the entrance of the bunker, a smug expression on his face. “I knew you'd come. Eventually. Why don’t you put that pretty gun away, _hmm_? Let’s be civil.” Shin set the rifle back down but kept the Last Word at the ready.

“Not a chance.” Shin said.

“Alright, alright. I get it. We’ll play by your rules.” The Drifter feigned nonchalance, but his eyes were that of a man who was afraid to die. His jaw clenched under the scrutiny of Shin’s gaze. "So, are you finally here to end me?" He seemed genuinely uncertain. It wasn’t the first time Shin had pointed a gun at him, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. He knew what Shin was capable of with it and he much preferred not to provoke him.

"Not you, just your operation."

" _That is ending me_." The Drifter's voice dripped with contempt. His eyes narrowed. "I thought we had a deal."

"That deal was called off," Shin paused as a second weapon manifested in his free hand, "when you made this." Almost the entire body of the gun was hollowed out. It was jagged and rough like a thorn, forged from light and shadow. Malfeasance. Its resemblance to a certain weapon of sorrow was not lost on him. Shin sneered behind his helmet at the thought. The Drifter was silent.

"You knew I'd find out, yet you did it anyway." Shin stepped into the con man’s personal space. "You're playing with fire." He stood almost a head taller but The Drifter stared up at him defiantly.

"Been burned before." The Drifter sneered as he sized Shin up. He spread his arms out wide. "But this time I've got protection. I'm _cozy_."

“What makes you so sure you're safe from me?" He pressed the barrel of his hand cannon into The Drifter’s chest. “Your guardian friend gonna come save you?” The Drifter's eyes darkened. He swallowed.

"I'm just trying to help you, pal. The darkness is coming for all of us. You, me, and all the sanctimonious pricks in the vanguard." This he knew. Humanity barely survived being wiped out by the darkness the first time, it would not survive another onslaught. Not now. Not unless something changed. "And maybe—just _maybe_ we can succeed where He failed."

"I’m not playing these games." Shin snatched him by the collar, his face so close to The Drifter's that his startled breaths fogged on his helmet. His eyes burned with a fury few had been unlucky enough to know, and even fewer had survived. "And I sure as hell won’t let you create an idol of Yor. He was a _fool_ , and you're a bigger fool for messing with this shit." And The Drifter was grinning at him, laughing in his face like the devil he was. Shin pushed the man away in disgust and the rogue grunted as his back hit the wall. If he didn't still need him he would have killed him where he stood, turned him to ash. That's what he told himself, anyway. It would have been the least of what he deserved.

"Shucks. But you already honor him." The Drifter gestures to his hand cannon, Jaren's Last Word. Even after all these years, after he'd owned the cannon likely longer than Jaren ever had, he still didn't think of the weapon as being truly his own. "That's the piece you took him out with, _innit_? You're a living, breathing testament to his memory." He felt the dull ache of a memory hundreds of years passed, long faded, but still there. Some wounds never healed, not completely, and Yor had left a gaping hole inside of him the day he came into his life.

The Malfeasance felt heavy in his hand. Shin had more or less turned a blind eye to The Drifter's antics before, but this was inexcusable. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just lay you out right now." His finger twitched on Last Word’s trigger, eager to put a bullet in the man before him—if not to kill him, at least for the satisfaction of wiping the sleazy look off his face.

The Drifter fidgeted. “Look, this whole light versus dark thing is...” He did a dismissive wave with his hand. “I want to go beyond all that, find a higher power. I’m not just gonna sit around and get caught in the crossfire while the powers that be duke it out in the universal equivalent of a pissing contest.”

Shin blinked, “The hell are you on about.”

“I’m talking about a bigger picture than all of this. _Survival_ .” The Drifter paused and ran a finger along his bottom lip in contemplation as he regarded Shin. He hesitated. “How about I cut you a new deal, _hmm_? You let me keep doing what I’m doing, and if any guardians tread too far into the murky waters you come in and—” He forms his fingers into the shape of a gun and pretended to fire it at his own skull as if the implications weren’t clear enough. “Sound good?” No one was truly able to resist the call of the dark. Not even Shin. Gambit would become the perfect lure for those who would dance with shadows and drown in their influence, corrupted by its promises to fulfill their dark desires.

It was foolish and reckless, but it would allow him to keep a close eye on the man, maybe get him to let his guard down a little. He couldn’t ignore the feeling itching in the back of his mind. No, he couldn’t just monitor him as he had been doing, he needed to get closer.

“No.” Shin finally said.

“No?”

“There’s another condition I’m adding to our terms.” Shin holstered Jaren’s cannon so that he was only holding Malfeasance. “Let me play.”

***

The gunslinger, under a new guise, quickly rose in infamy. Guardians trembled when they saw his name in the lineup, whether he was on their team or not. After every match he left the arena scorched by the force of his light. The Drifter loved watching him just as much as Shin loved to put on a show. But he wasn’t unbeatable. No one was. After the initial shock of such a player entering the ranks, Gambit flooded with newcomers, more light-bearers who would come to tempt the dark, and every single one of them wanted to hunt him.

“You know, I really ought to thank you.” Shin watched as The Drifter absentmindedly turned a mote of dark around in his hands. He paced back and forth slowly on his platform while they waited for the other players to transmat in. “Gambit is taking off and the motes are flowin’.” Whatever his grand plan was had been set in motion. It wouldn’t be long now. Shin knew The Drifter wouldn’t let himself get too excited yet, not while the renegade kept him under his thumb. The con man couldn’t keep his plans hidden forever, but he would do his best to keep Shin distracted for the time being.

Shin was in the ready room, his teammates having not yet arrived. Jaren’s ghost transmatted in a selection of weapons and gear for him to choose from in the meantime. He picked out an old cloak, worn and torn in places, and threw a bright green shader on it. It was nothing fancy, just a bit of flair to add some realism to his character. He took Malfeasance as his primary.

“Interesting choice.” The Drifter said to him over comms, clearly in approval. Shin hummed in agreement.

“Just playing the part.” Once Shin was satisfied with the rest of his loadout Jaren’s ghost silently blinked away. “Can’t have people connecting me to Gambit now, can I?”

"Which one of you?"

Shin cocked a smile beneath his helmet, "Nice try."

"Thought I'd give it a shot.”

Other guardians began transmatting in, a few that Shin recognized. Some of the vanguard's most trusted, and they had come to dance with shadows. On the other side of the barrier, the enemy team was huddled together. The Drifter couldn’t hear them but he knew they were talking about Shin. The renegade's own teammates were starstruck.

The Drifter stepped forward on his platform between the two teams, a swagger in his step, each footfall echoing against the metal grate. All eyes turned to him. He pulled out one of his trademark jade coins and turned it around in his hand, playful mischief in his eyes. Both sides had twin snakes. He brought his hands together and the coin vanished from sight. “ _Ohp!”_ The Drifter showed his empty hands to the players in the room. A titan next to Shin gasped in wonder. The Drifter reached toward his ear. “ _Aaa-ha_!” The Gambit runner pulled a new coin seemingly from thin air and made a great spectacle of it. Shin thought it was cheesy but the other guardians seemed to enjoy it. The Drifter put up the coin for all to see the symbol it bore. The jade coin erupted in flames that illuminated the ready room. “Hive! Bring a sword.”

***

The interior of the Derelict materialized and he stumbled as he stepped down from the platform. His head hurt like hell. He pulled his helmet off and tossed it on the floor. No relief. If anything the pounding got worse. He could barely what had happened in the moments before. His mind felt as if it had settled over with fog. He tried to latch onto the fleeting flashes of broken memories in his mind.

_The invasion portal flared to life in a burst of Taken magic and the gunslinger took a deep breath in anticipation before he rushed into the fold once more. The corners of his vision swirled with dark energy and all he saw was red. He called for his Golden Gun and his light poured into his hand until it took solid form. But his golden gun took on the visage not of Last Word, but of Malfeasance. Raw solar light dribbled from the hollow grooves of its barrel and over Shin’s fingers before dripping to the ground, scorching the earth. For some reason it seemed so terribly familiar._

_The Primeval was staring at him, swathed in amorphous shadow, its abyssal eyes piercing through his soul with its gaze. This was something ancient, something bigger than him. He could feel its hunger, ravenous and primal, and deep within himself he felt that same hunger stir and wrap itself around his heart._

_He could feel the Light all around him. In the heat of the sun shining down on him, in the air, in the very earth. But underneath he could feel something else. The shadow, lurking wherever the Light touched. He concentrated on the essence, let it coil around him like a cloak. He embraced it in turn, let its power surge through him. Terror rushed through his blood._

_And then there was nothing._

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” The Drifter barked. Shin was pulled from his trance by the Gambit runner's outburst. He was little more than a blur in his vision. Shin groaned, shutting his eyes. Every little sensation hurt. “I’ve got some words for you, pal. You hear me? I knew letting you in on this would be a mistake and, boy, you sure showed me. You _massacred_ those guardians. They’ll never come back after the whooping you gave ‘em.” The Drifter huffed and set his hands on his hips, momentarily at a loss for words. Shin had always been a force to be reckoned with in the arena, but this was something else entirely.

Shin began to sway. The Drifter was at his side in an instant and caught him before he could fall. All the anger that had been in his face immediately fell away and in his eyes were... concern? No, The Drifter wouldn’t be concerned for him. But there was something about how his grip tightened on Shin’s arm when he groaned out in pain, the way he gently tilted the renegade’s chin up to meet his own gaze.

“Hey, hey. Easy.” The Drifter held him by the shoulders. “You alright, pal? What happened to you out there?”

“Thought you had words for me.” Shin slurred. “Something’s wrong.” He breathed out as another wave of dizziness passed through his body. Jaren’s ghost appeared with a shimmer of light and immediately got to scanning him over. After the ghost thoroughly looked Shin over he floated between the two light-bearers, his single electronic eye narrowing pensively.

“Nothing is wrong with you physically,” the ghost said, chirping as he paused. The ghost’s single eye flicked all over Shin anxiously. “But your light—”

“That ain’t nothin’ a ghost can fix.” The Drifter cut in. “You’re burnt out. Turns out going on a rampage like you just did can wear a man down.” Jaren’s ghost tilted forward in his shell as if to nod in agreement. It was the only explanation they had for the moment. After the match ended the other players left The Derelict in a hurry, clearly spooked. “You’re scaring them.” There was irritation in The Drifter’s voice. Bad for business.

“And what about you?” Shin’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Do I scare you?”

The Drifter snorted, "You really asking that? Can you even _move_?” Shin was in a pitiful state. There was no reason for The Drifter to see him as a threat as long as he was drained. "You cast seven golden guns in less than ten minutes. I'm downright terrified."

Shin was startled when The Drifter drew closer to him. An arm slipped around his waist and pulled him against the side of the rogue. Shin felt his light settle over him and mingle with his own, almost soothingly. He didn’t know if The Drifter had done it intentionally or if his own body was pulling on the other man’s light like a magnet. He threw his arm around The Drifter’s shoulders and held on tight to his robes. The man led him down the corridor, not noticing how the gunslinger tried to get as close to him as possible.

“In all my years, the last thing I thought I’d be doing is taking care of your sorry ass.” The Drifter had him sit on the bed once they reached the bunker and Shin had to stop himself from reaching out towards him as he stepped away. The symptoms of his drained light began to return. Then The Drifter came close again and Shin had to hold back a groan when he felt the other man's fingers on his skin.

"What are you doing?" He gripped the other man's wrists, stopping his movements. The Drifter must’ve seen something wild in his eyes because he looked startled when he returned Shin’s gaze.

"What does it look like? I'm undressing you." Shin was apprehensive but he released The Drifter’s wrists. There was a click as The Drifter unclasped his armor and pulled his chest piece off of him. "Relax. You can't sleep like that." With the other man touching him, his light flowing through him, Shin realized how _good_ it felt to have the light coursing through his body. It was something he had never really thought about, not until he had become deprived of it. And now he hungered for it.

The Drifter was close enough that he could count the individual hairs in his beard if he wanted to. He smelled of gun oil and ozone, a peculiar scent that had his nerves buzzing anxiously. Everything about the man spelled danger and it excited him.

The Drifter pulled up Shin's foot to rest against his hip while he unlaced his boots. The renegade stifled a yawn and he found The Drifter's ramshackle bed increasingly comfortable. It wasn't long before all his gear was stripped off of him.

"I normally sleep shirtless," Shin said softly, "if you don't mind." The Drifter's hands still lingered around his waist. He looked uncertain. The way he squirmed under Shin’s gaze was delicious.

The Drifter cleared his throat, "Right, let's get you out of that, then." The Drifter had Shin lift his arms so he could pull the shirt over his head. His muscles ached in protest. The shirt was tossed to the floor with the rest of his armor. The Drifter rummaged around in a crate next to the bed before he tossed a blanket at him. It was thin, rough, and smelled of dust but it was better than nothing.

“You can crash here ‘til you get back up to speed.” Shin pulled the covers up around himself once he got comfortable and shivered as the warmth enveloped him. The Drifter turned down all the oil lamps in the bunker. “Don’t say I never did nothin’ for ya.” Shin was too exhausted to protest.

***

His vision flared with bright light and Shin stirred awake, blinking the sleep from his eyes as the world came into view. Through squinted eyes he made out the shape of The Drifter, his back to him at the other side of the room, hunched over a small gas stove as he stirred something in his wok. Shin groaned when the scent of the food finally hit his nostrils and his stomach growled in response. The Drifter staggered for a moment, startled by the noise.

“Morning, sleeping beauty.” He flashed Shin a semblance of a smile over his shoulder before he went back to cooking. “How ya livin’?”

“Head's still killing me.” Shin grumbled. He felt groggy, having woken up several times throughout the night. He could hardly call what he had experienced sleep. Shin pushed the covers aside and sat up on the bed. He ran a hand over his face and felt stubble on his cheeks. How long had he been out? God, he was starving. Not a moment later The Drifter had shoved a bowl in front of him. He dug in without hesitation. It took every fiber in his being to stop himself from shoveling food in his mouth. The meat had a suspicious texture but in that instant it might as well have been the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his life. 

"How long was I out?" Shin said in between bites, mouth half full of food. The Drifter was leaning against his desk across from him, working on his own bowl.

"Three days." The Drifter said. "Thought you were gonna bite it." 

"Would've been just as well for you if I had."

A strange look passed over The Drifter's face before he looked away. "No, I doubt that." He nodded pointedly at Shin’s bowl. The gunslinger hadn’t even noticed it was empty. The Drifter motioned for him to hand him the bowl and he topped it off again with stew, broth dribbling over the edge as he passed it back to Shin.

"What do you care?"

"Dying ain't exactly a pleasant experience." The warmth was gone from his voice. He had struck a nerve, Shin reckoned. The Drifter made a stiff, pointed gesture with his bowl. "Eat up." He urged. He made no further efforts to continue on with their conversation.

Shin reserved himself to silence, deciding not to press the matter any further. He took a moment to regard The Drifter while he ate. He wore more casual attire now, looking the most relaxed he had ever seen him. The Drifter wasn't exactly a messy eater, but he ate like the food would vanish from his hands at any moment. He cradled the bowl in his hand like it was something precious. 

It was the first time he'd seen the man without his over-sized robes now that he thought about it. He could make out the toned muscles of his arms, his broad shoulders, the angled slopes of his hips. He was rather pleasing to look at. The Renegade's tongue swiped out and moistened his bottom lip, and all the while he kept his eyes trained on the other light bearer. He had all but licked his bowl clean.

He was still hungry.

***

There was a darkness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Shin's eyes were already dark in color, endless pools of deep brown. But this was a different kind of dark. It was as if a shroud had engulfed his light.

He kept his eyes trained on The Drifter, and watched as he tinkered with a new gun. His fingers twitched in agitation. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to reach out and pull The Drifter into his arms, make him forget about the triviality of barrel attachments and rifle stocks and for just one moment have his full attention.

He traced over the rogue with his eyes, following the flow of his robes as they perfectly hugged his body, rustling with every slight movement. The Drifter licked his bottom lip in deep concentration and Shin found himself mirroring the act, hypnotized. He could practically see the man’s light radiating off of him, just out of reach, tempting him sweetly.

He hadn’t realized he had watched him for so long until The Drifter abruptly stopped his movements and tilted his head as if he were listening for something. “You know, I can feel you staring.” He said after a moment.

Shin averted his gaze despite himself. “I wasn’t.” he said with a cough.

"Yeah, sure." The Drifter crooned as he tightened a screw on the scout rifle he was working on. "Hard to keep your eyes off me, _innit_?"

Shin rolled his eyes. So he had been staring. So what? He absentmindedly rubbed at one of his cheeks when he felt it heat up. The Drifter had an obnoxious way of making him feel embarrassed when he otherwise wouldn’t.

“Not exactly a whole lot to look at around here.” Shin lounged on the small bed lazily, leaning his back against the wall while he stuck his fingers through a hole in the shirt The Drifter had given him to wear. "Not unless you _want_ me to snoop around," he said innocently enough. The Drifter grunted, hardly listening. “What’s that piece called?” The Drifter didn't answer right away. He grunted with exertion as he twisted the screwdriver one final time.

“It’s for Gambit. Distant Relation. Keep your enemies where they can’t reach you, get it?” The Drifter lifted the gun up so he could look through the sight. “Nothing better for fueling a guardian’s blood lust than a gun to kill things with. They bring the motes, I bring the artillery.”

“Alright, then why do you need the motes?” Shin said innocently enough. “They’re for more than just summoning primevals, of course. They ooze with dark potential. Something like that could be very powerful, no?”

The Drifter abruptly set down his tools on the workbench. Finally, a reaction.

“You’re asking a lot of goddamn questions.” He finally turned to face Shin, his eyes shifting about the other man’s face. Shin was always inquisitive of him, that was to be expected, but this was different. Something was amiss. The renegade did his best to hide how pleased he was and put up a front of pointed disinterest. “What are you playing at?”

“You’re a murderer and a crook, excuse me for thinking you less than trustworthy.” He took the bait. The Drifter quickly closed the distance between them and was staring him down with bright blue eyes flaring wildly with suspicion. Shin returned his own questioning gaze, suddenly on edge.

“You listen here, and you listen good ‘cause I’m only gonna say this once.” The Drifter gripped Shin by the chin and forced him to meet his eyes. “I don’t bargain with darkness., I annihilate it

Shin couldn’t bite back the groan that escaped his lips as relief crashed over him like a wave. The Drifter’s light caressed his skin and eased his aches like cool water on a burn. The Drifter recoiled as if he’d been burned and it took every remaining bit of self-control and dignity Shin had not to reach out for him.

“What the _hell_ was that?” The Drifter cradled his trembling hand with the other.

"This is what happens when you let the shadows in." Shin swallowed, trying to calm his nerves. He squinted his eyes as the pain returned. If there was one insight he had gained from this, it was the agony that came with falling from the grace of the Light. To completely submit oneself to the Darkness—Shin couldn't bear to think of the pain. "My light's been suppressed, and the result has been debilitating, to say the least. But when you touch me all the pain goes away." He didn’t often admit to being vulnerable, but this was the only way to get what he wanted.

“So you've just been mooching off my light this whole time? You're crazy.” The Drifter stared him down, and after a moment Shin closed his eyes as if to block out all the sensations that threatened to overpower him at that moment. “I’m not sure this plan of yours is worth the risk.”

“It will be. I have no doubts.” Shin whispered. He'd never been more certain of anything in his entire life. Perhaps it just wasn't his place to utilize the powers of darkness, but that didn't mean it couldn't be done. His voice came out more pleading than he'd intended. “Please... Touch me.” Something changed in The Drifter's demeanor. Shin would've compared him to a prowling mountain lion closing in on his prey.

The Drifter laid his hand along the side of Shin's neck. He could feel the same bizarre sensation he had felt before as Shin's light tugged on his own, like a flame being passed continuously from him to Shin. The gunslinger inhaled sharply and stared at him intently. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything before? You could _die._ ” Shin was hardly listening anymore and covered The Drifter’s hand with his own, his fingers ghosting over the rogue's. He gripped The Drifter’s wrist as he started to pull away, growling low in his throat. He pressed his lips to the inside of The Drifter's wrist, his lidded eyes steadily locked with its owner as he slowly moved up his forearm. He pulled him closer.

“ _Oh_ — _”_ The Drifter said softly, now fully aware of what Shin wanted from him. He eyed him with uncertainty. “You look like you just wanna eat me up.” The gunslinger’s tongue flicked out to wet his lips.

“Yes...” Shin said softly as he captured The Drifter's lips with his own, kissing him gently at first but then almost hard enough to bruise. It was like being shocked full of arc, sparks on his skin wherever The Drifter touched him. The hunger within him roared to life, and it demanded that he devour this man. He kissed him like he was starved for air, with all the ferocity and desperation of a man out of time. The Drifter’s light crashed over Shin like a wave to shore and he broke away with a whimper. His entire body buzzed with light that wasn’t his own, warmth spreading through his skin. He pulled The Drifter in once more, desperate to get closer. The Drifter settled between his legs, resting a hand firmly on his thigh.

The Drifter got to undressing him, tugging off his loose shirt and tossing it on the floor. He ran his hands down Shin’s bare chest, his skin flushed with warmth as trails of light followed in the wake of his fingertips. The Drifter took a dusky red nipple between his fingers and slowly rolled his thumb over the peak, then leaned down and licked a long stripe up the gunslinger’s neck. Shin shivered.

“Fuck, you really are a demon,” Shin breathed out. He whined as The Drifter’s hand trailed excruciatingly close to his erection before trailing back up his chest. “Teasing me like this. Bastard.” Shin bucked his hips, seeking any friction he could get to satiate his growing arousal.

“Ah, but I’m just giving you what you asked for, pal.” The Drifter nipped at the shell of his ear and whispered low, “You started it.” He smirked against the gunslinger’s skin, taking pleasure in how the other man writhed beneath him. He dipped his hand just below the waistband of Shin’s trousers, mere inches from Shin’s arousal, drawing circles along his lower abdomen. Shin groaned impatiently. The Drifter chuckled at his desperation and suckled a spot on his neck.

Shin let out a breathy laugh, "Hah... I'm going to strangle you."

"Is that a promise?" The Drifter's eyes twinkled mockingly. 

All it took was one slight touch, just below his Adam’s apple, and The Drifter froze up, eyes wide with uncertainty, _excitement_. And there was an edge of fear there, too. Fear that Shin was serious about it. The Drifter licked his lips nervously. Shin tightened his grip on the man’s throat, not enough to cut off his breathing, but enough to cause The Drifter to tilt his head back instinctively from the pressure. His cock twitched against Shin’s thigh with interest. Shin’s hand slipped from his throat and slid to the back of his neck.

The Drifter rewarded him with a rough kiss that left his lips tingling. The Drifter freed him from his trousers with deft fingers and grasped his weeping cock. He stroked him from base to tip, his hand growing slick with pre-cum. Shin's fingers dug into his shoulder as the rogue gripped him tighter and worked his hand up and down his shaft. Shin let out a shuddering breath as The Drifter's thumb rolled over the head of his dick. He knew exactly what he liked, gripped him just right. Shin quickly came undone.

"Fuck." Shin gasped. The Drifter hummed in approval and sped up his pace. Shin didn’t remember when he had ended up on his back, legs spread with The Drifter half on top of him. The Drifter moaned softly as he grinded himself against Shin’s leg. If The Drifter kept this up he wasn’t going to last much longer. Shin clutched desperately at his robes, his moans dying down to stuttering breaths as he climaxed. The Drifter kept grinding against Shin’s leg, panting heavy in his ear, until eventually he stiffened and came with a low groan, his fingers digging into Shin’s skin.

Shin sighed as The Drifter settled down next to him, and when he looked over to him a million different things he wanted to say to him crossed his mind, and he said none of them.

"What's eating at you?" The Drifter returned his gaze warily. Shin groaned and buried his face in a pillow. He silently pleaded with his heart to stop thudding. He pressed a kiss into Shin's shoulder and ran his hand down his chest, feeling the muscles relax under his touch. He slipped an arm around Shin’s waist, pulling him close. Shin tossed the pillow aside and let The Drifter shower him in dazed kisses.

"We need to talk about Gambit," Shin said drowsily. "I'm retiring."

"Already?" The Drifter didn't even actually sound surprised. "What made you change your mind? You spooked?"

Shin shook his head, "Nah that ain't it." He ran his hand through The Drifter’s short hair and gently smiled in satisfaction as the man leaned into his touch. "Just thinkin' I might not be cut out for it." 

The Drifter snorted and tightened his grip around Shin. "Good." Before Shin could protest he kissed him silent, until he relaxed again. "Was gonna kick you out anyway."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Any feedback is appreciated :)


End file.
